The month of April is celebrated across the U.S. as National Fair Housing Month. Do you know why April was chosen?

April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated

April 11, 1968, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act was passed--what is now recognized at the National Fair Housing Law

An article written for CityScape in 1999 by Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts (deceased), entitled "Fair Housing--the Battle Goes On," provides a synopsis of the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Since its passage in 1968, our nation has struggled to heal itself of all forms of racial discrimination. The U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) produced a document entitled "39 Steps Toward Fair Housing" which depicts the issues, cases, developments and achievement that have formed our efforts to end discrimination and create equal housing opportunities for all. Since its inception, HCC has pursued a mission of enforcing the Fair Housing Law, advocating for social justice, and building community. Through a complete testing program, HCC continues to monitor the practices of landlords and real estate agents throughout Cuyahoga County.

Educational Redlining and School Ratings The practice of redlining in real estate was made illegal by the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968; this landmark legislation prohibited redlining by mortgage lenders when their criteria were based on race, religion, sex, familial status, disability, or ethnic origin. But the Fair Housing Committee of HCC has uncovered an insidious form of redlining that takes place today in popular real estate websites, such as Zillow and Realtor.com "School Rating" numbers appear on many national real estate websites and in some television advertising. These ratings provide a color-coded (green, yellow, red) number from 1 to 10 that purport to describe the schools around a house that's for sale. We asked, "Where do these numbers come from? How are colors assigned?"

Learn the FactsView and download Heights Congress' presentation from the April 24 "Educational Redlining and School Ratings" Interactive community forum. Read the Report which describes how Zillow and GreatSchools profit from this misleading and unsubstantiated practice.

Is Housing Segregation a Thing of the Past? A "Regional" Problem? Not really significant any more? Read what the New York Times has to say about a federal housing discrimination complaint filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance, alleging that "real estate agents promote segregation — and deny African-Americans the opportunity to buy into high-value areas that would provide better educations for children and a greater return on their investments." 50 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, we are still struggling to realize its intent and potential. Heights Community Congress is gratified to have national attention focused on the key issue that has been central to our mission for over 40 years.

UPDATE ON FAIR HOUSINGThe Fair Housing Act of 1968 barred routine racial discrimination and required the government to dismantle segregation and foster integration in its place — a mandate that has been forgotten, neglected and unenforced. In the long-awaited Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it will provide support to communities in meeting their obligations under the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The AFFH rule change follows the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Fair Housing Act, which upheld the use of disparate impact claims, or the recognition that certain policies may be deemed discriminatory based not on intentions, but on the resulting negative impact on a minority group.The final AFFH rule provides program participants with "clear guidelines and data they can use to achieve those goals," the department said in a release. It requires cities that receive HUD funds--such as Cleveland Heights--to scrutinize their housing patterns for racial bias and to publicly report the results every 3-5 yrs. Under the rule, communities will gain access to data on topics like housing, demographics and poverty to help them fill housing gaps. The rule also creates an assessment planning process to better assist those communities in setting goals and priorities to remove those barriers. Implementation of the rule will be gradually phased in, with HUD offering support to participating communities as they adjust."By encouraging a balanced approach that includes targeted investments in revitalizing areas, as well as increased housing choice in areas of opportunity, the rule will enable program participants to promote access to community assets such as quality education, employment, and transportation," according to the HUD release. Ohio fair housing advocates praised the move shortly after it was announced.

ABOUT FAIR HOUSING Heights Community Congress has had a Fair Housing Program since its inception in 1972. In 2013, HCC not only continued monitoring rental and real estate practices in Cleveland Heights and the eastern suburbs, but it produced a study that drew upon data compiled from HCC audits done from 2008-2013 and compared the results with those of the original St. Ann audit done in 1972. HCC regularly conducts testing through its audit program in Cleveland Heights and other eastern suburbs in order to monitor whether Fair Housing Laws are being followed by realtors. Housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability is illegal by federal, state and several local municipal laws. If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint.

There are several ways to file a complaint:

You can file a complaint right now with Heights Community Congress, by using our online form.